


The Enemy of My Enemy is My Friend

by Dophne



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Delusions, Fevered delusions, Hurt/Comfort, Injured Tony, Kidnapping, M/M, Mentions of break ups, Mission Gone Wrong, Mistrust, Protective!Steve, Rhodey Is a Good Bro, Rhodey To The Rescue, Steve Feels, Steve playing the part, Tony Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, bad guy!Steve in Tony's mind, changing wounds, not so much kidnapping, playing a role, steve cares so much, team as a family, these two try their hardest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-24
Updated: 2018-02-24
Packaged: 2019-03-23 14:38:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13789827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dophne/pseuds/Dophne
Summary: Steve doesn't really know what to do when Tony looks at him not as his adoring boyfriend but as his enemy number one. It hurts but Steve cannot get Tony to break from his steadfast delusion that Steve and the Avengers are a group of kidnapping terrorists who want Tony for something villainous.





	The Enemy of My Enemy is My Friend

**Author's Note:**

> I did a Valentine Exchange for a Tony Server I am a part of! This gift is for Kitty8 who great prompts and this one stuck with me! I hope you enjoy this. 
> 
> The prompt: 
> 
> The team is stranded after a mission gone wrong and have to take shelter in a cave. None of them ever got an in-depth explanation of what happened in Afghanistan. There is a lake in the cave. Have fun.
> 
> Though in this, Steve doesn't know the full extent of all that has happened but Tony did tell him a more flowery version of the story. For example, he knows Tony was able to create Mark I from the weapons the ten rings gave him but not what they did to him or Yensin to get him to do it.

Steve's head hurt. A lot. He groaned as he tried to piece together what exactly happened. It didn't matter now though since the quinjet was in pieces, half his team was unconscious and they were stranded on a small beach opening to a cave. He rushed over to Tony and pulled him out of the damaged suit. It was then that Steve noticed the wound in Tony’s leg and he could feel Tony begin to burn up. Steve was not sure what to do but he needed to get Tony off the beach away from the sand and sun. So he pulled Tony into his arms and rushed towards the cave letting Thor check on the rest of the team. 

 

Walking into the cave, Steve felt the air cool, the sound of rushing water filled his ears. He placed Tony near the water’s edge so he could easily wash Tony’s wounds and get him to start heeling. As Steve leaned over Tony’s leg to begin cleaning Tony’s wound the genius woke up and stared at him with absolute fear in his eyes. Steve did not know what was going on but he needed to calm Tony down. He used his strength to hold Tony in place as his boyfriend struggled in his arms to get away. Steve tried to no avail to get Tony to calm down so he did something he really did not want to do. He climbed over Tony’s midsection using his weight to keep Tony in place forcing himself to ignore Tony’s cry and curses and screams. 

 

He hoped Tony will forgive him one day. Steve did not know what he would do if Tony never forgave him for this. 

 

After a long fight, Tony finally fell unconscious and Steve finished up cleaning the wound. Steve looked around finally and he noticed that the rest had shuffled into the cave after him. They all looked a bit worried at Steve as he moved to get off of Tony’s waist and move him into a better more comfortable spot in the cave. Tony was laid on Thor’s cape that he had taken off telling Steve to use it. 

 

“He is running a fever and I think…I think he is getting delusional from it,” Steve rubbed his hands over his face forgetting that they were covered in blood, Tony’s blood. Now it was all over his face and it made him feel a little manic. 

 

“Go get cleaned,” Nat said as she stepped up to him with a soft look on her face, “I will look after him while you wash away the blood. You don’t want to look worse than you do when your dummy-genius wakes up.” 

 

Steve nodded and moved back to the waterfront and cleaned up the blood the best he could. Washing Tony’s blood off was a bit frightening. Steve really needed Tony to be okay. He hoped that when Tony woke up his mind cleared up and they could talk about how to get home. 

 

“GET BACK!” Steve heard Tony yell and he turned to see Tony scrambling away from Nat looking for what Steve figured was his suit. Steve rushed towards his boyfriend but he just glared hotly at Steve and Steve knew that Tony was having a fevered delusion. This was not going to be good. Steve pulled Tony into his arms holding him firmly against his chest as he looked at Nat to bind his hands behind his back. Nat looked at Steve with understanding and sadness. This was necessary to keep Tony and the rest of the team safe. Steve hated to do this. He really did. 

 

Tony went completely still in his arms as Nat clasped the makeshift shackles around Tony’s wrists. Steve worried for a moment but Tony was the type to lock down and sass at his captors. Hopefully, Steve can get Tony snap out of this delusion and figure out a way to get them all out. For now, though, Steve took it upon himself to be the enemy leader. If Tony were to go after anyone it should be him. If Tony tried to hurt anyone it should be him; Steve can heal. 

 

After Tony was secured in the make-shift shackles, Steve moved away from Tony’s body heat feeling a slight sliver at the loss. He looked at Tony once over before forcing the man to his feet. He hated doing this because Tony was injured but he had to get him in a spot he could easily watch him and clean his wounds. 

 

“My team will find me,” Tony glared at Steve, “and when they do you will regret taking me.” 

 

Steve looked sadly at Tony and decided not to answer. It might be better in this situation to act like the silent leader who refused to talk to his prisoners. So he just placed Tony near the waterfront again and Tony looked horrified. He suddenly began to fight against Steve with all his might not wanting to get near the water edge. 

 

This was not going to be easy…

 

A few days have passed and Tony was getting worse. No matter how much Steve tried nothing seemed to work. Rather Tony seemed more inclined to see Steve as his worst enemy. Every time Steve approached Tony the man was convinced he was coming to hurt him especially when he came to check on his wound, clean it and change the bandages. Steve had to hold him down each time and ignore Tony’s begging. 

 

Steve had to make sure Tony got nothing dangerous to work with. It saddened him that he had to do this but he could not risk it. Tony was one of the smartest men he knew and could make anything he wanted from little he had. Steve had heard Tony talk about how he built his first suit from scraps the terrorist organization had given him. So he had to be smarter and not give him anything more than a plastic spoon and plate to use. 

 

Tony balled up in his spot studying each of the Avengers trying to figure them out. Steve watched him as discreetly as he could but still, he knew Tony could feel his eyes on him. Sometimes he would stare back at him. 

 

“We can’t keep doing this,” Clint growled, “Tony seems to be in such a shock delusional state that his body is literally not healing. We need to get him back somewhere!” 

 

“What are we to do?” Scott asked glancing at Tony occasionally with worry in his eyes. 

 

“We wait until he sleeps and move him and find a way off this island,” Natasha replied. 

 

“No, I sent Thor to get Rhodes awhile ago,” Steve said making sure that they all heard what he said, “I asked for a few days to see if Tony would come around before having all these black ops coming and Tony having a bad reaction to it all. Though it seems that the more time passes the more his delusion seems to escalate.”

 

“I won’t do anything for you!” Tony called up breaking the conversation, “This isolation won’t get to me.”

 

Steve didn’t answer him, none of them did really but it still hurt. Tony was strong and Steve was so proud of him. He hoped that Thor would come soon with Rhodes and get Tony out of here.

 

* * *

 

Tony heard them before he saw them. There was a distant noise of a helicopter and Tony knew that his team was here to save him. These assholes are going to get what they deserved. He spotted Rhodey in the middle of the pack walking into the cave. The captors got up and moved towards the team and Tony hoped Rhodey gave them a good punch!

 

“Rhodey! I am right here!” Tony called as the rest soldiers attacked his captors and pushed them against the wall. He did not pay any more attention to them his sole focus was on Rhodey as his best friend kneeled down in front of him with a large smile on his face. 

 

“I am here for you Tones,” Rhodey wrapped his arms around Tony to carry him out. Tony wanted to protest but knew better than to protest out loud. 

 

Tony was so happy to see his best friend. Seeing him renewed his hope. He wanted to go home. Back to his lab, back to his team, back to the comfort of his home. He was injured and held hostage, a surprisingly well-kept hostage but one nonetheless. But he just let the warmth of his best friend’s body seep into his and allow himself to feel safe in the other man’s arms. Rhodey was the second person, well technically the first, person Tony ever felt truly safe with. 

 

“Take me home Rhodey,” Tony whispered into Rhodey’s neck closing his eyes to this horror show. His captors are going to pay. No one gets away with holding Tony Stark captive like this for days. The last time someone tried that they all ended up on the other side of his blasters but this time he will just leave it to Rhodey and his men to do the job because he knows once Captain America got his hands on them they were dead. 

 

“Just sleep Tones. I got you,” Rhodey said as Tony let himself fade into darkness…

 

…Tony woke up and for the first time since he came back to the hospital, he felt actually awake. Before he felt like his mind was foggy and clouded and nothing he could do would let him see clearly. But now his mind had cleared and he was fully there in the room. 

 

Tony looked around expecting to see Steve sitting in the visitor's chair instead of a sleeping Rhodey. Not that he did not love his honeybear, he did, but Tony really really wanted to see his boyfriend. So he called out Steve’s name wondering if he had somehow stepped out for a moment but his super soldier didn't seem to be within hearing distance. Odd. Steve always stayed within hearing distance. 

 

“Rhodey,” Tony leaned forward and shook his best friend’s knee jolting him awake. Rhodey woke with a start but refocused a moment later to look Tony in the eyes. He smiled wearily at Tony as though nervous about his reaction which Tony did not really get but then again Tony did not act like himself when he was drugged out of his mind. Rhodey knew better than to judge him. 

 

“Tony! You’re awake!” Rhodey stated the obvious in a genuine happy tone. 

 

“Where is Steve?” Tony asked and instantly Rhodey’s whole demeanor changed. He looked a bit worried and sad at the mention of Steve and Tony feared the worst. He really hoped Steve…he hoped he wasn’t dead. 

 

“Tony you got to understand,” Rhodey started but Tony cut him off with a glare. So his boyfriend wasn’t here. Steve didn’t come to visit him and that hurt a lot more than he wanted anyone to know. Tony really thought Steve was the one. That he would be the one to be there with him through thick and thin. Tony was convinced since the day he trusted St-Rogers enough to open up to him and this is what he got.

 

“There isn’t much too understand Rhodey,” Tony growled feeling the anger bubble up inside of him. 

 

“Anthony Edward Stark,” Rhodey got up from his seat so quick that Tony’s mind didn't have time to fully register the change, “you are going to listen to what I have to say because this is important. The reason Steve is not in the room with you is because you had a fevered delusion that caused you to hallucinate that Steve and the rest of your team were a terrorist organization holding you captive. The reason why he is not here Tony was because every time he tried to visit, you would scream and yell at me to lock him up and to put him away. And no Steve does not hold that against you nor does he think any less of you for it. That man loves you and I know you love him too. So I am going to go call him and you are both going to talk this out.” 

 

Suddenly Tony felt horrible. He jumped, no he dived, to conclusions without even letting Steve defend himself. He was really a horrible boyfriend. Not only did he think the worst he basically screamed and accused his team, no his family, that they were terrorists scum. Tony did not deserve a second chance no matter what Rhodey had to say. It would be better off for Steve and the team if Tony quit the team and ended this budding romance with Steve. They were bound to fizzle out sooner or later and Tony was just going to pull the plu-

 

“Hey, sweetheart,” a very familiar voice broke through his thoughts. Tony knew that voice it was one of the few that can pull him out of his mind rants. One of the few that made him feel like he was home. Tony looked up to see Steve standing in the doorway looking weary and shy not knowing if it was okay for him to enter. 

 

And not like any other time, Tony forsook hospital rules as he threw himself into Steve’s arms. All it took was to hear his voice to make Tony realize that it did not matter how much hardship they go through that Tony really wanted to pull it through with Steve rather than without him. He did not want his insecurities or his self-doubt to take one of the few good things in his life. 

 

And in the safety cocoon of Steve’s arms, Tony felt himself cry for what he put his teammates through, what he almost put them through and he knew that Steve would hold him all the way through it because that man really was there to help him through thick and thin.

 

“Hey,” Steve whispered again pushing Tony just far enough to get a good look at his face, “I love you and whatever you need we will work through it together because we are a team. No matter what, we do it together.”

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on [My Tumblr!](https://queendophne.tumblr.com) and [My Twitter!](https://twitter.com/Queen_Doph)


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